RETURN OF THE GUNSLINGER

Or, the Return of the King? 

Doubtful. 

Whatever Stephen King might have once had, I have my sincerest doubts he can replicate it this late in the game. The most apt response I've heard at this point was, "What's the title? "Tale of the Franchise Milking Talisman"?

Will I read it ... probably, once I muscle my way through the slosh of the rest of the series, and there is a lot of it. I don't know for whom I'm writing this. Fans of Stephen King have already tuned me out and pre-ordered the damn thing, and anyone who wasn't swept up in his dervish of (in my opinion false) popularity never ... ever ... is going to make it through the first 7 books of the series to even begin to care about yet another one.

Look, the Gunslinger is one of my favorite books of all time, mostly cause it didn't read like Stephen King. It was concise, tight, and knew where the hell it was going. When there was talk of adapting all seven Dark Tower novels into a single film trilogy, my first thought was one of relief, cause about half of the 2 & 3rd books (the only ones I made it through when I hit the roadblock that was the Wizard and Glass) could be edited down tremendously ... and I mean good lord, does that man know how to talk.

And they had cast Javier Bardem as Roland!

And y'see, I have no issue with a verbose author (although I find King droll), it's the meandering of the plot. My all time favorite author, Donaldson, may write a large book, every moment of it will be geared toward the ending from the moment he starts typing. Stephen King nearly threw away the Stand, which most people would argue is his greatest work, because he didn't have a clue what he was doing.

I think what Stephen King really needs is a better editor who is willing to take the knife to the better portion of an entire manuscript, instead of allowing him free reign. Look how well that turned out when George Lucas had no limitations.

See what I mean?

Authors can be the worst judges of their own work at the end of the day, cause if it's published ... well, the author is no longer the audience, it's out of their hands, as it should be, left to the damnation of self-inflating critics.

<sigh>

Alright, so for anyone still here, "The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole" will be released April 24, 2012, and while it is the 8th book, it is set chronologically between books 4 and 5, which makes me wonder if and when I ever finish book four, which book I should go ahead and read next, book 5 or 8? 

Thus far, reception has been good, but seriously, who the hell is going to argue with their King? I mean, the one review I read called the 8th volume (they're calling them volumes now? Oy vey...) necessary. 

I humbly disagree nameless reviewer man (it was actually Kevin Quigley posted by FEARnet). The series was proclaimed 'concluded' with the 7th volume, meaning anything published after the conclusion is inherently unnecessary.

~ Godzello